Advertising sign and the like



June 18, 1929. v. BRIDGMAN ADVERTISING SIGN AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 8,1928 Patented June 18, 1929.

UNITED STATES VICTOR BRIDGMAN, 01* LONDON, ENGLAND.

' ADVERTISING SIGN AND THE LIKE.

Application filed October 8, 1928, Serial No. 311,187, and in GreatBritain August 23, 1927.

This invention relates to advertising signs as disclosed in my Britishapplications filed August 23rd and 25th, respectively, 1927, and is animprovement in the sign disclosed in my U. S. application 190,019.

The type of sign to which the invention primarily relates is that inwhich daylight, preferably direct from the sky, passing through astencil, transparency or the like, hereinafter termed stencil, isreflected by means of a reflecting surface or mirror in the direction inwhich the sign is to be viewed, the stencil being interposed between themirror and the source of light, so that a brightly illuminated image ofthe stencil is seen in the mirror. The invention secondly relates to thetype of sign in which daylight is reflected through a stencil by meansof a reflecting surface or mirror which is arranged above the stenciland at an angle thereto, the stencil being interposed between thereflecting surface and the observer.

If a sign of either of the aforesaid types is to be artificiallyilluminated at night or when the natural light is insufficient, thedifficulty arises that if the artificial light be arranged above thesign in the position in which it can be utilized to greatest advantageit will intercept some of the natural light by day, while if it beplaced in a position in which it does not intercept the daylight, thestencil will not be very effectively illuminated.

Now the object of this invention is to provide an improved sign ofeither of the aforesaid types which can be illuminated artificially inan efficient manner when the natural daylight is insufficient for thepurpose.

To this end, according to the invention, a source (or sources) ofartificial light, for example, electric incandescent lamps, is linearlydisposed along one or more edges of the stencil and a sheet of glass orother suitable transparent or translucent material having a roughened,corrugated, serrated, fluted, prismatic or similar surface is arrangedrelatively to the stencil and to the source of artificial light in aposition in which its roughened surface is adapted to reflect or refractlight received from the source of artificial light on to the stencil.

The term prismatic glass is hereinafter to be understood to mean glassor other suitable transparent material of which at least one of itssurfaces is roughened, corrugated,

serrated, fluted or of prismatic or similar form.

The prismatic glass may either be arranged close to or in contact withthe stencil or alternatively at some distance therefrom, and it may beemployed either instead of or in addition to any other glass, forexample the coloured glass usually employed, with which the stencil iscovered. When employed instead of the usual coloured glass, theprismatic glass itself may be coloured. hen employed in addition toanother glass, the surface of the latter which faces the artificiallight is also preferably roughened. Vhen two glasses are employed andthe artificial light is disposed along one edge only of the stencil, theglasses are preferably arranged at an angle to one another so as toconverge towards the edges furthest from the artificial light, which isarranged between or just beyond their divergent edges.

The artificial source of light is preferably arranged outside the planeof the prismatic glass and is provided with a suitable screen in frontso as to be invisible to the observer.

Different embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of examplein the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a cross-section througha sign of one type, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 11-11of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 3 is across-section, similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form ofconstruction.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the sign comprises a box orcasing 1 in the bottom of which is fitted a mirror 2 and of which thetop, which is otherwise open, is formed by a stencil 3 which is attachedor applied to a sheet of coloured glass 1, the upper surface 5 of whichis preferably roughened or serrated. The upper surface of the stencil 3is preferably whitened or mirrored and the lower surface black. Abovethe casing 1 is fitted, a, preferably metal, frame 6 into the top ofwhich is fitted a sheet of glass or transparent material 7 the lowersurface 8 of which is roughened, fluted, serrated, corrugated or ofprismatic or similar form. The frame fi is open at the top and bottom,so that light can pass through the glasses 4: and 7, but is closed atthe back and also at the front which is rounded and extends somewhatbeyond the edge of the stencil. In the rounded portion of the frame 6,which is preferably formed also so that it acts as a reflector, arearranged a number of electric incandescent lamps 9, which are fitted insockets 10 attached to a tube 11 containing the wires 12 which carry thecurrent. A shield may be fitted immediately over and slightly forward ofthe lamps so that as small an amount of light as possible is visibleabove the sign. The frame 6 is preferably removably attached to thecasing 1 in order to enable the electric lamps to be replaced whennecessary.

The sign is fitted up in such a manner that the mirror is inclined at anangle such that it reflects light from the sky in front of the mirror inthe direction in which the sign is to be viewed. By day, light from thesky passes through the prismatic glass 7, the coloured glass 4 and thestencil 8, so that a brightly illuminated image of the stencil is seenin the mirror. By night, the lamps 9 are switched on whereby the stencilis illuminated in part by direct light from the lamps 9 and in part bythe light which is reflected or refracted by the roughened or prismaticsurface 8 of the glass 7, so that a brightly illuminated image of thestencil is again seen in the mirror.

Referring now to Fig. 3, the modification here illustrated differs fromthe constructional example previously described, only in that thecoloured glass 4 is omitted. Inthis case the prismatic glass 7 may, ifdesired,

so as to be adapted to be fitted to existing signs of either type forthe purpose of enabling them to be artificially illuminated.

I claim:

1. A sign comprising a reflector disposed to reflect light from a sourcethereabove in a lateral direction, a stencil disposed above saidreflector for the passage of daylight therethrough-onto said reflector,an artificial light source above and at the side of said stencil, and asheet of prismatic lass overlying said stencil above said artificiallight source.

2. A sign comprising a reflector disposed to reflect light froma sourcethereabove in a lateral direction, a stencil disposed above saidreflector for the passage of daylight therethrough onto said reflector,an artificial light source above and at the side of said stencil, and asheet of prismatic glass overlying said stencil above said artificiallight source, and disposed at an angle to said stencil to reflect lightfrom said artificial light source through said stencil onto said mirror.

Dated this 24th day of September, 1928.

VICTOR BRIDGMAN.

